Exo

For a century now, Earth has been a peaceful colony of an alien race, and Donovan Reyes is a loyal member of the security forces, while his father is the Prime Liaison--but when a routine search and seizure goes bad Donovan finds himself a captive of the human revolutionary group, Sapience, terrorists who seem to prefer war to alien rule, and killing Donovan just might be the incident they are looking for.

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A very suspenseful novel which kept me wondering what would happen next and not wanting the story to end as I got closer and closer to finishing. Following Donovan and how his life took a very drastic turn, I learned many lessons along the way because it was as though I were taking this journey along side with him. As Donovan lives in a future where Earth is associated with aliens and their advanced technology, he learns some secrets his father, the Prime Liaison, has been keeping from him his whole life. Going through many experiences he’s never believed he would go through, his perspective has changed on the enemy and he finds himself caring about the well-being of some of them. I never thought I would connect with a character as much as Donovan because ‘Exo’ taught me that things aren’t always how they seem. This novel ended in a twist that left me in awe and still wondering how it could’ve happened. I didn’t enjoy the epilogue because it felt like it could’ve incorporated more of the experiences Donovan went through, it was very predictable and irrelevant. I would recommend this book to science-fiction readers. 3/5 -@booklover327 of the Hamilton Public Library's Teen Review Board

Such a fun read! Astounding and intricate world-building, almost lifelike characters, and lots of all-around creativity, especially where the aliens were concerned. MAN, the zhree were really cool. Kinda reminded me a little of the Arsians from “The Search for WondLa” series (*tries to stifle a sob*), but more advanced, and...weirder. In the coolest way possible. I really liked the concept of the Hardenings and the speech organ. Super inventive.
Also, for some reason, I imagined Max exactly like Laura Dern. No idea why, she just gave off that kind of vibe. Plus, I recently watched “The Last Jedi” again, and I watched “Jurassic Park” last night. That definitely contributed to the Laura Dern-ness. I’m weird, I know. Speaking of which, I also imagined Anya a little like an older version of Sadie Sink. With darker eyes. Don’t ask me why.
All in all, spectacular book! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find out when the sequel comes out...

Fonda's Lee novel, Exo, is suitable for middle grade fans of science fiction. Exo begins with a promising premise, however, it sadly does not live up to its full potential. In Donovan Reye's world, humans and aliens work together to establish a set community. Despite this coexistence, aliens reign supreme. This causes conflict between groups of humans, torn between wanting to continue their coexistence and others who want to return to a civilization without aliens. Donovan soon gets caught up in a battle between the two groups of humans, and he must choose which side is right. This book alternated between being too slow paced and too fast paced. In addition, other key points such as the romance, seemed very forced and rushed. Furthermore, side characters lacked depth and development. I felt like I was unable to relate to the main character, Donovan, due to an emotional disconnection between him and readers. I would recommend this book to fans of other science fiction novels such as The Maze Runner series by James Dashner.
- Anonymous

Full of action, with a great premise! An alien invasion story where the humans just might be the bad guys. I loved the description of the aliens and the exocel technology was particularly cool! A great choice for reluctant teen readers!